Bucky Stone Adventures

Bucky Stone was a really fun seven-year writing project that filled up a whole bunch of Friday and Sunday afternoons. I wanted to tell the story of a high school student who is really trying to serve Jesus in a secular setting. Bucky is a great guy who is talented on the ball field and basketball court – and who seems to be constantly all tangled up romantically.

The stories are pure fiction, except that #5 does take place in Thailand where I grew up. Lisa accuses me of living out my unfulfilled high school fantasies through Bucky Stone – “the James Bond of Christianity” – which is probably true. I don’t think I scored a single point in any basketball games, whereas our Hampton Beach hero is routinely selected as the school MVP and is always being carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders.

I still remember once visiting a smallish church on the very northern tip of Maui . . . and having lunch with a couple of kids who had devoured all ten of the books – and knew the plot lines better than I did! It’s a blessing to a writer when his work touches someone’s heart.

At only $ .99 each, these Kindle books are a real bargain! Just go to http://www.amazon.com and type in Bucky Stone, or use the provided links below. I hope you enjoy them.

Volume One: From the comfortable cocoon of a smallish Christian grade school in northern California, Bucky finds himself thrust into the high-octane and very secular world of Hampton Beach High School. Right out of the gate, hip-hop dance parties and a new girlfriend threaten to undo his Christian faith. Adventure #1 is a high-altitude thriller on the slopes of Tahoe when he leaves Heavenly Valley’s ski trails to rescue a lost girl.

 

Volume Two: A natural-born hitter, Bucky finds himself promoted to the JV baseball team, where Dan, his hitting partner, is master-minding a computerized cheating scam in history class. When Bucky find himself forced to rat on his friend, Coach Brayshaw is livid with both guys, and the season blows up right on the ball diamond. Things heat up with his new girlfriend, Lisa Nichols, and a scary subplot involving the abduction of Bucky’s little sister Rachel Marie rounds out the story in Book #2.

Volume Three: Even though the petulant Coach Brayshaw has decreed a lifetime ban from Hampton High sports for Bucky and Dan, he tries out for the basketball team . . . and has the talent to make the squad. At the same time, he has to cope with Lisa moving to Seattle and the discovery that his best friend and teammate is an alcoholic. A round-robin invitational in Reno ends in a cocaine death for one of the Panthers’ leading stars; all eyes are on Bucky as the team tries to survive in the playoffs without their best-shooting guard.

Volume Four: Jeff, a disgruntled pitcher who resents Bucky’s born-again faith, decks him in the Panthers’ first baseball practice . . . and leaves our hero with a broken arm. With his sophomore season wiped out, Bucky finds a new employment opportunity when he gets a coveted job as a student teller at First California Bank.  But there’s a reason why his orientation training involves what to do during a holdup. Book #4 has Bucky as the lone hostage in a heroin-fueled robbery. A stunning blonde named Deirdre enters the story; her sultry advances are enough to make Bucky forget all about Lisa – but his new flame has no use for the things of God.

Volume Five: Bucky gets invited on a mission trip to northern Thailand to help build a dormitory. There are monsoons, poisonous snakes, and endless Rook games during the train ride to Chiang Mai. Another major distraction is a pretty Thai girl named Vasana. But things take a dangerous turn when Bucky misses a bus and spends a steamy night lost in the grungiest part of downtown Bangkok.

Volume Six: Safely home again, Bucky anticipates a great junior year when he makes the elite varsity basketball squad at Hampton. Two of his best friends have now committed their lives to Jesus as well, and the entire Bay Area begins to notice the on-court heroics of the Panthers’ two Christian starters. But controversy erupts when Bucky discovers the squad’s sharpshooting guard, Bill, taking gambling payoffs every time the team wins a close game. When the Panthers reach the finals as predicted, shadowy figures try to coerce Bucky’s participation in a major betting scam.

Volume Seven: Two new characters enter the saga and disrupt the spiritual flow of Bucky’s third year at Hampton. Jonathan is a pudgy chemistry partner who loves his Oakland A’s and has a penchant for target practice with his dad’s collection of handguns. Tracy is a 4’ 10” fizzy redhead with the highest IQ in the entire high school – and she’s got her eye on a very tall and born-again sports hero. A baseball junket to Seattle and the Mariners’ Safeco Field sounds innocuous enough, but the adventure gets pulled over when Jonathan (and his Magnum .357) runs a red light and leads the cops on a midnight chase through Eugene, Oregon. Can Bucky and Tracy establish their innocence?

Volume Eight: Pastor Jensen has another bright idea for how Bucky and Dan can grow in their faith. The Christian summer camp has two openings for counselors – and Bucky has exactly two days to become a slalom expert on skis. Each Sunday brings a fresh batch of wide-eyed boys who learn to respect their cabin leader, “Mr. Stone.” But one quiet child brings a desperate secret to Sierra Pines, and Bucky finds himself dealing with a criminal investigation of suspected child abuse.

Volume Nine: In a stunning turn of events, ex-girlfriend Lisa comes back to Hampton High, but with 50 pictures of Steve in her iPod. Now a senior, 6’ 4” Bucky is the undisputed leader on the Panthers’ unbeatable varsity basketball team. The Panthers head to Hawaii for an exclusive island invitational, but his close friendship with roommate Dan Litton is jeopardized when Bucky has an unexpected rendezvous with a girl on the beach. His clandestine romance with Deirdre ends up in Room #1929 of a luxury high-rise hotel, and he faces a seductive invitation from his former girlfriend. Will his faith in God see him through?

Volume Ten: The concluding story in Bucky’s high school experience has Lisa coming back to center stage, as a pregnancy scare and wrenching long-distance breakup bring her face-to-face with her need for God. Meanwhile, hard-throwing Jeff Hilliard has just committed his life to Jesus, and he asks Bucky to forgive him for the bean-balling incident two years ago. The two gifted athletes, now close spiritual soul mates, are both star hurlers on their respective varsity baseball teams . . . and all Northern California watches with interest as the two teams seem destined for a dream matchup in the playoffs.

The Complete Adventure: Let “Bucky” save you a few bucks! Get the entire saga – skiing, baseball, hoops, girl troubles, bank robberies, bad Saturday nights in Bangkok, Waikiki temptations – in one rip-roarin’ and redemptive e-book. All ten books are right here for just $6.00.